IT TURNS OUT THE FACEBOOK GROUP UNITED MUSLIMS OF
AMERICA, WAS ACTUALLY NONE OF THOSE THINGS.
ANY REPORT FROM THE DAILY BEAST HAS TRACED IT BACK TO THE
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT.
THESE TROLLS RAN THIS ACCOUNT SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH OTHER
ACCOUNTS THAT WERE SPEWING ISLAMAPHOBIC MESSAGES ON
FACEBOOK.
THIS WAS USED TO INFLUENCE THE US VOTING PUBLIC.
THAT WAS WHY
SOME PEOPLE BELIEVED THIS FACEBOOK GROUP WAS CREDIBLE.
YOU COULD LOOK THEM UP ONLINE AND THEY HAD SOME SORT OF BASIS.
THIS WAS A SIZABLE FACEBOOK GROUP.
THEY ACCUMULATED ALMOST 3000 FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS.
ALL THEY DID WAS SPEW FAKE NEWS.
NOW THE CONVERSATION HAS TURNED TO WHO WE SHOULD BE HOLDING
RESPONSIBLE.
WHAT IS FACEBOOK'S CULPABILITY?
SO A LOT TO BREAK DOWN.
WHERE DO YOU FALL IN THIS CONVERSATION?
>> I WANT TO ELABORATE ON THE SOPHISTICATION OF THIS PAGE.
IT'S NOT AS EASY AS FINDING A PAGE THAT LOOKS LIKE A
LITTLE SUSPICIOUS AND SHUTTING IT DOWN.
WHAT THEY REALLY DID WAS THE VAST MAJORITY OF POSTS THEY
PUT UP WERE LEGITIMATE.
THEY WERE NOT DIVISIVE IN ANY WAY, SUSPICIOUS ñ
THAT WAS HOW THIS PAGE BUILT ITS CREDIBILITY AMONG ITS FOLLOWERS.
THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT HERE IS A FAKE
NEWS STORY THAT IS SO OUTRAGEOUS, THE US GOVERNMENT IS
FUNDING ISIS.
SPECIFIC POLITICIANS ARE WORKING WITH ISIS.
THINGS THAT HAD NO EVIDENCE OR PROOF, BUT IF THE PAGE IS
BUILDING CREDIBILITY AMONG ITS FOLLOWERS THEN SOMETHING LIKE
THAT WOULD NOT SEEM AS SUSPICIOUS OR RAISE RED FLAGS.
>>IT IS TERRIBLE WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
BUT IT IS A GOOD JOB AT BEING TERRIBLE.
IT IS LIKE WATCHING THE AMERICANS ñ
YOU GUYS LIVED A VERY NORMAL LIFE.
THE AMOUNT OF DISCIPLINE IT TAKES ñ
IT IS TEXTBOOK SPY CRAFT ON A DIGITAL TEXTBOOK.
IS ALL THOSE THINGS WHERE YOU JUST MAKE PEOPLE GET LULLED.
MAKES YOU FEEL BAD FOR THE BASIC ASS NAMES FOR ALL THE
ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAPPEN IN AMERICA.
THE RUSSIAN GROUP WAS
ABLE TO GET IT ñ
>> AGAIN THESE TROLLS WERE IMPOSTERS.
WHILE THEY WERE RUNNING THIS PAGE THEY WERE ALSO
SIMULTANEOUSLY RUNNING OTHER PAGES THAT WOULD FEARMONGER
ABOUT THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY.
THIS WAS ALL MEANT TO ADD TO THE DIVISION IN THE COUNTRY AND ALSO
LEAD TO A LEVEL OF CHAOS AND MISINFORMATION THAT WOULD MAKE
IT DIFFICULT FOR THE AVERAGE AMERICAN WHO MIGHT NOT FOLLOW
POLITICS TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION.
>> EVEN THE AVERAGE AMERICAN THAT MIGHT FOLLOW POLITICS COULD
DO A GOOGLE SEARCH ON THIS WOULD PASS THE SMELL TEST.
THIS IS A LEGITIMATE ORGANIZATION, WHY WOULDN'T
THIS BE A FACEBOOK PAGE?
WHEN YOU GET TO A CERTAIN LEVEL OF FOLLOWERS MOST PEOPLE
BELIEVE THAT OTHER PEOPLE WOULD'VE DONE THE RESEARCH.
AND THAT IS HOW THEY GOT TO NEARLY 300,000 FOLLOWERS.
PEOPLE THAT WERE PROBABLY SHARING THEIR MEMES.
THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE FOLLOWING THROUGH ON THIS
FALSE NARRATIVE.
>> I THINK ANOTHER POTENTIAL SOLUTION ñ ONE THING I THINK WE
REALLY NEED TO CONSIDER IS THE WAY LEGITIMATE JOURNALISTS
DO THEIR JOBS.
WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THERE ARE STORIES THAT ARE INCREDIBLY
COMPLEX, NUANCED, AND NOT BLACK OR WHITE.
WHEN YOU DO THAT AND NOT BREAK IT DOWN WITH EVIDENCE AND
FACTS, THAT LEADS TO AN
UNINFORMED PUBLIC.
THE REASON I BRING THAT UP AS YOU NEED AMERICANS TO BE AS
INFORMED AS POSSIBLE.
SO WHEN THEY DO FIND THEMSELVES CONFRONTED WITH RIDICULOUS
CONSPIRACY THEORIES THEY ARE LESS PRONE TO BELIEVE THEM.
THERE IS A REASON WHY SOMEONE AS MANIACAL AND CRAZY AS ALEX
JONES HAS A FAN BASE.
IF YOU ARE BEING FED SUPERFICIAL LACKLUSTER COVERAGE I THINK YOU
ARE MORE PRONE TO FALLING FOR THESE CRAZY CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
>> IT FLIES IN THE FACE OF A TRADITION OF GOOD REPORTING
BEING QUITE NON-LUSTROUS AND VERY BLAND.
AND EVERYONE WOULD SAY YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD WATCH IS 60
MINUTES.
AND YOU SHOULD.
AND THEN THERE IS THE SCHOOL OF THOUGHT THAT YOU SHOULD
WATCH VICE.
AND THEN VICE IS REALLY SHINY, AND IT HAS GOTTEN BETTER.
BUT TOO FREQUENTLY I THINK THAT IS THEM TAKING IN IDIOT
INTERVIEWING AND ASSHOLE, AND THAT IS YOUR SEGMENT.
WE NEED TO GET BETTER AT INVESTIGATING STUFF BUT IT IS
PUTTING A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY ON THE AVERAGE AMERICAN TO
REALLY LOOK AT THE PROCESS BY WHICH THEY VERIFY INFORMATION.
I DON'T THINK IT'S TOO MUCH TO ASK BUT THE RUSSIANS WHO
IDENTIFIED THIS EARLY DEVELOPED A STRATEGY TO EXPLOIT IT AND DID
IT SUCCESSFULLY.
IT REMINDS ME OF WHENEVER THERE IS A SPEECH AFTER YOU LOSE A
GAME, AND THE COACH TAKES YOU ASIDE AND SAID LISTEN THEY
HAD A GOOD GAME PLAN AND WE PLAYED LIKE CRAP.
AND THAT IS WHAT I FEEL LIKE.
THE RUSSIANS HAD A GOOD GAME PLAN.
I THINK IF WE ARE REEVALUATING WHERE WE ARE AS A COUNTRY
IN TERMS OF BEING SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS KIND OF MOVEMENT THEN
WE JUST NEED TO UP OUR GAME.
>> I 100% AGREE.
THIS ISN'T JUST A CRITICISM OF OTHER NEWS ORGANIZATIONS.
THIS
IS ALSO A
MOMENT OF SELF-REFLECTION FOR
SOMEONE LIKE ME.
DO WE DO THESE STORIES JUSTICE?
ARE WE DETAILED
ENOUGH?
THESE ARE THINGS CONSTANTLY CIRCULATING IN MY
MIND.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DO RIGHT BY OUR AUDIENCE.
IT IS SO IMPORTANT NOW MORE THAN EVER.
THE WAY PRINT JOURNALISM HAS DEVOLVED IS CONCERNING.
THREE PARAGRAPHS ON ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX ISSUES AND
THEY ARE DONE.
NOT TO CALL OUT MEDIAITE- THEY WILL DO THE MOST
SUPERFICIAL COVERAGE OF EVERYTHING.
AND I AM LIKE WHAT IS THE CONTEXT?
>> POP TRIGGER IS THE SAME WAY.
I'M JUST KIDDING.
>> PEOPLE ALREADY KNOW WHAT THEY WANT TO BELIEVE IN ALL YOU ARE
LOOKING FOR IS A STAT FOR A HEADLINE THAT YOU CAN PUT INTO
YOUR CRAPPY BB GUN AND FIRE OFF THAT PEOPLE DURING ARGUMENTS.
>> WHICH IS WHY AS PAINFUL AS IT IS ONE THING I HAVE BEEN MORE
OPEN TO DOING IS LISTENING TO CONSERVATIVE SHOWS AND
COMMENTATORS.
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE THERE IS A POINT THAT SOMEONE MAKES IT
MAKES ME THINK I HAD NOT CONSIDERED THAT, LET ME
INVESTIGATE IT.
I DON'T WANT TO BE STUCK IN ANY TYPE OF IDEOLOGICAL BUBBLE.
I THINK WE AS AMERICANS ARE MORE PRONE TO DOING THAT NOW
MORE THAN EVER.